2011 Best 40 Photojournalistic Wedding Photographs

This post is part 4 of 5 posts highlighting some of my favorite images from my 2011 season, in honor of the best clients in the whole world – mine. As always, click on the individual images to see more from that wedding. Other posts: Best engagements, Best details, and Best Wedding Parties.

Over the past year, I’ve really come to look for those photojournalistic moments that make a wedding. For photojournalistic photography that truly tells a story, I seek to capture the unscripted, spontaneous moments. It is my goal to hone in on a moment of extraordinary happiness and love. It takes experience to anticipate and be in the right place at the right time, and shoot more than just a snapshot. It is with immense pride that I’m displaying 40 images that truly represent what I’ve been pushing myself to immortalize, from the getting ready of a wedding to the very last moment on your dance floor.

Getting Ready

Sometimes, one forgets deodorant!

This was the moment when the bride’s best friends first saw her in her dress. Their body language says it all

Figuring out the birdcage veil

In a quiet moment before her Hindu wedding ceremony was about to begin, this bride’s mother kissed her and told her how much she loved her

Your wedding – the one day when it’s completely okay for others to put on your shoes for you

The First Look

If you’re still on the fence about doing a First Look, I hope that these images may help persuade you. 17 of my couples did them this year

The Wedding Ceremony

What’s not to love? This is the reason why you’re having a wedding, you’re getting married!

This little ringbearer ran down the aisle

The mother of the bride feeds sweets to the groom in a traditional blessing before the start of the Hindu wedding ceremony

The priest blesses the mandap with water

The family of the groom melt down in tears as the groom cried watching his bride come up the aisle

During the Ketubah signing, the rabbi explains the significance of the Jewish marriage certificate

Here, the groom pours rice over his bride

The father of the bride sheds a tear as the brother of the bride plays a Beatles song during the wedding

The brother of the bride pinches the groom’s ear: “Take care of my sister, or I’ll take care of you”

The groom here gently wipes away a tear on his bride’s face

The bride here wipes a tear shortly after the end of her wedding ceremony, surrounded by her family and closest friends

Three super-happy, “We’re married!” moments

The Moments In Between

This Jamaican destination wedding was temporarily rained out. This young guest blew bubbles that were supposed to be used at the end of the beach ceremony

During the portraits, the bridesmaids were helping the bride lift up her dress so she could walk on the grass, and then a gust of wind came in

This mother of the bride looked towards the heavens as she spoke on behalf of her and the bride’s father, who had passed a year before the wedding

Right before the horah: anticipation, anxiousness, and excitement

The Cake and the First / Father-Daughter / Mother-Son Dances

I tell my couples – enjoy these moments. They are precious

I have to give credit to Amie Fedora for shooting this picture below. I was standing to the right of the bride and groom getting the cake feeding shot so there was no way I could get the kids who had lined up impatiently waiting for their own slice, but I saw them out of the corner of my eye. Good teamwork and non-verbal communication made this shot happen!

The next two images make me tear up

The Party

Once the dancing shoes come on, it’s time to dance like it’s the time of your life